Phenolic condensation product



25 acids and bases as will give salts which are soluble Patented Oct. 10, 1939 l 02,175,793

PHENOLIO connnnsa'rron PRODUCT Ludwig Cserny, Wlesbaden, Germany, asaignor to The Resinous Products & Chemical 00., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application March 3, 1936, Serial No. 66,849. In Germany March 4, 1935 2 Claims. (Cl. 260-45) This invention relates to the preparation of blocks, sheets, strips etc., which may then be arglass-clear, colorless phenol-carbonyl condensaranged in a mold in any desired design and unittion products which have greatly improved reed and hardened under pressure at an elevated sistanceto the action of light and is a continuatemperature not exceeding approximately 100 C.

5 tion-in-part of application Serial No. 1,171 flied In this case it is advantageous to subject the rods, 5

January 10, 1935, now Patent 2,075,340. sheets etc. to a further dehydration before weld- It is known that practically all phenolic coning them in a mold. During this drying process densation products have a decided tendency to several per cent. of moisture may be evaporated. darken on exposure to light. It is also known The welded products may be further hardened that cloudy or ivory-like products can be obby the action of heat alone or 01' heat and presl0 tained by condensing one to three mols of formsure. The products made in this way are superior aldehyde and one moi of phenol with an alkaline to those made only with gel-soluble salts. The catalyst, acidifying with lactic acid and subseresins obtained have a greater transparency and quently dehydrating and hardening the product. purity of color and are in addition much more By reducing the amount of alkali used the prodresistant to the action of light. 15 not obtained is rendered more nearly transparent The following examples will serve to illustrate but in no case has it been possible to produce the invention which, however, is not limited to a glass-clear, transparent material in this way. the exact details shown as it may be otherwise The final product is always somewhat cloudy and practiced within the scope of the appended under the best conditions only a semi-transparent claims. 20

material containing particles of the clouding ma- Example-1 eri 1, viz: ctat i t I: order gg b gir i comglei e iy c f fid ai 400 parts of phenol, 1000 parts of formalparent products it is necessary to use only such dehyde and 45 parts of 44% sodium hydroxide are condensed under a reflux condenser for twelve minutes. The product is then acidified with 70 tg fi g fii sfig gfi ggz gg zgig g zg g gg parts of 80% lactic acid and dehydrated under It has been proposed in this connection to use reduced pressure During or after dehydration potassium hydroxide and phthalic acid and in 330 parts or a urea-formaldehyde condensation 30 this way transparent products have been obproduct made from one mol of urea and three 30 tained. In this case, however, the solubility of mols of formaldehyde is added for every 1000 the potassium phthalate is not very great. If the parts of the anhydrous phenol'mr-maldehyqe amounts of potassium hydroxide and phthauc product and the dehydration is continued for a acid used are equivalent to the amounts of soshort time The mixed product is the-n poured dium hydroxide and lactic acid usually used in into moms and hardened gel is formed 35 the production of ivory-like materials, the prodwmch may be readily cut with knife The net will c1oudy Furthermore, the light block so obtained is then sliced into thin sheets which are dried several hours at 70 C. and then 55 2232; gg sz g, gggzz'f the potassium welded together under a pressure of about 60 at- 40 It is an object of this invention to provide a mospheres at about to form sheets of 0 method whereby a glasswlear transparent greater thickness. Following this the plates are nol-carbonyl condensation product of high resistkept at Without the action Pressure for ance to the action of light may be obtained two to four days in order to complete the harden- It has been found that a perfectly transparent, i The gel m y also be t in other f rms d glass-clear, phenol-carbonyl condensation prodp s nd e p ec s Obtained arranged in 45 not may be obtained from the-same materials a mold prior to the final hardening. The product usually employed in making the ivory-like prodthus obtained is completely glass-clear and transiict, it to the liquid condensation product there parent and extremely resistant to the action of is added before, during or after dehydration a l1ght 5o urea-formaldehyde condensation product. This Example 2 mixture is then dehydrated and hardened yielding the glass-clear, transparent product. This A gel is prepared Show in Example and mixed product may be hardened to a gel, before hardened to the point at which it may be ground or after dehydration, which may be readily cut to a p s is then p aced in a o d a d with a knife, at ordinary temperatures, into rods, h at d und p ss at a p atur not xas ceeding 100, preferably at 70-80 so to complete the hardening.

The gels and final condensation products obtained according to the present invention are the Joint condensation product of a liquid phenolcarbo'nyl condensation product and a urea-formaldehyde condensation product, which contains a gel-soluble salt, preferably sodium lactate.

Other materials such as pigments, soluble and insoluble dyes, small particles of metal foil, bronze powder etc. may be added to the liquid phenolcarbonyl condensation product before forming the gel, in order to obtain any desired color design in the final article by arranging pieces of various colors or pigment content in a mold prior to welding and final hardening.

The method is also applicable to other phenols, such as cresol, and to condensation products of phenols with ketones as, for example, 4, 4' dihydroxy-diphenyi-dimethyl methane.

The product obtained is suitable for making buttons, fountain pen barrels, cigarette holders,

formaldehyde in the presence of an alkali, acidifying with lactic acid, adding a reactive ureaformaldehyde condensation product and heating to form a gel which may be cut with a knife at ordinary temperatures.

LUDWIG CSERNY. 

